This morning I went to the San Francisco Antiquarian book fair. It was really interesting not only to see all the old books and first editions, but also to see how much they cost. I saw a set of first edition Whinnie the Poo Books by A.A Milne being sold for $47, 000. needles to say I didn’t buy anything, but I did find some interesting books and illustrators I want to do some research into:
1. The Eloise series by Kay Thompson seemed very popular with most children’s book stalls selling them for a lot of money. I have never heard of them but I am assuming they are a popular American classic.
2. There was a collection of four books illustrated by Peter Max called Thought, God, Peace and Love. They were about how to live your life in the right way and to follow God, but they were illustrated in Max’s psychedelic style creating a weird juxtaposition of words and pictures, very intriguing!
3. No Rubbish Here by Myfanwy Evans published in 1936 by Collins has the most simple yet beautiful cover. It is a warm green with a repeated illustration of two rabbits placed over it, Id love to see what her other covers are like.
4. Walter Harrison Cady’s illustrations completely appealed to me. He has this lovely series from the 1920s called Butternut Hill. The books are probably half way between A5 and A6 measurements and completely crammed with illustrations of his little animal community and really brightly coloured. If I had a spare $100 I would have definitely brought one of his books!
